Of Love and Betrayal
by Cherries LOVE morons
Summary: There's war, blood, and death, but in the midst of all this there is still time for love and room for betrayal...story set in the current manga chapters
1. Chapter 1

"I can't stand people who lie to themselves."

Sakura's eyes widen at Naruto's decleration. She realizes then that Naruto is no longer the dense 12 year old she met when they first formed team seven. As she realizes her mistake she tries to calm her guilt that is slowly trying to consume her. She comes to the conclusion that it wasn't only Naruto she was trying to fool but she was also trying to convince herself of the words that came out of her mouth, but she also atones that they weren't all lies but more like half-truths. Sakura bites her lip in anguish and forces herself to look away from Naruto's probing eyes. She feels like she has betrayed him in some way.

She hears him let out a sigh before she feels his hands on her shoulders, firm yet gentle, "Sakura-"

She stops him, "Naruto" She looks off to the distance where she sees the snow coming down in gentle waves. The view is serene, beautiful. The contrast of the white snow make Sakura feel tainted against something so pure, "Naruto I…wasn't lying." There's sadness in her voice, but for the first time since the conversation had started Sakura didn't have a smile, she was serious.

"Sakura-"

"No naruto let me finish," She looks at him, he sees determination, the way she furrows her brow in concentration and the way she has her mouth set in a firm line and her eyes bright, lid up with confidence and determination make him remember why he had fallen in love with her in the first place. "I love Sasuke, I have always loved Sasuke," She looks towards the snow again, "But the Sasuke I loved is dead." Naruto's eyes dim and he feels sorry for the dark look that flashes through Sakura's face before it turns into one of empty indifference, "I can't do this anymore, it hurts too much," she looks at him then, her eyes filled with worry, worry for him, "you can't keep doing this."

"Sakura I-"

She shakes her head, her pink locks tossing left to right, "Listen please." She looks up at him in a pleading sort of manner, "please" a faint whisper that he barely manages to hear and it brakes his heart to hear her sound so defeated. He can't speak, his voice is stuck in his throat and he only nods to let her know he is listening.

She takes a deep shaky breath and turns her body away from Naruto. Naruto is able to look at Sakura's profile and notices the distant faded look in her eyes and he wants to reach out and console her, but he gives her space, she is trying to be strong. She does not look at him when she speaks, "I will not deny my love for Sasuke, but I will no longer chase a ghost." Her voice was stern and Naruto knew she would keep her word, and it killed him to think Sakura had given up on their third teammate. "At first it was hard to except Naruto, but as time went by the pain got easier to deal with,…you made it easier to deal with." She looks at him then and he sees for the first time what he's been wanting to see for such a long time and it takes he's breath away. There she was, Sakura, the girl he has been in loved with since childhood, looking at him the same way she would look at Sasuke. He can't speak or think and he finds himself overwhelmed with emotion, he feels his eyes starting to shimmer.

She walks toward him and places a gentle hand on his cheek and brushes away a small tear that he didn't notice he had shed, "I don't know when it happen, but sometime after Sasuke left I realized how precious you are to me. When you came back from training I found myself liking you. As time went by I realized I had formed a crush for you." She smiles at him and traces his jaw with one of her slender fingers. "You mean everything to me now and I owe you so much," she goes down the length of his arm and intertwines both their hands, "You, Naruto-kun, can make me forget about Sasuke," he freezes and feels his body run out of air as he feels himself being pulled into an intimate hug. He shudders as he feels her whisper into his ear, "can you do that for me Na-ru-to kun, can you make me forget?"

He doesn't know what to say, he is so confused and feeling her tiny slim body being pressed up against his large bigger frame is making him unable to concentrate, "Sakura-" he's shock to find his voice sounding so dry.

She squeezes him reassuringly and looks up at him, noses touching, "We can do this Naruto." She slowly, tentavily, kisses him on the lips, freezing Naruto on the spot before he too starts to kiss her back.

From afar their lone teacher watches them with worry. He knows Sakura and he knows Naruto and he wonders whether he is making a mistake by not stopping the current event that has just taking place. He wonders whether this would come back to hunt all of them, as he looks at their students in a still intimate embrace he wonders whether anyone would live to regret this.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone, I forgot to make an introduction on the first chapter and I kind of wanted to make one now…I just want to say that this is officially my first fanfic…I've been reading many for a couple of years now and never had the courage to make one of my own and post it but I finally was able to get over it and here I am now posting my story. I don't know if it'll be any good since it is my first but I hope you guys like it.

I want to clear some things out for some of my readers, this story is definitely going to be multi chapter. I am a faithful SakuraxSasuke fan (no intended bashing on any other couple fans) and although I love Naruto eventually you will see some Sasuke interaction.

I don't know how many of you are up to date with the Manga but this story is set on the current chapters so I hope it makes sense.

Well anyways enjoy.

-I do not own Naruto-

"Sakura," he sighs, he really doesn't know what to tell her, "I know you, as well as Naruto, have matured over the pass three years, but I want you think about what you just did."

"You think I'm foolish? You think I made a mistake kakashi sensei?" She looks at him and he sees the almost anger in her jaded eyes, he wonders when they got so dull.

He looks at her with more scrutiny, his voice is serious and you could hear a tint of anger, "Sakura, what you are doing to Naruto-"

"Is letting him free, free from a burden he should no longer carry, he has so much on his shoulders, " her voice croaks towards the end and she looks at the snow filled grown and recollects herself. "I am only giving him what he wants, what he deserves." She said the last word with so much determination it made her wonder whether she was still trying to convince herself…_I have to keep my word, if not for me, then for Naruto._

Kakashi instantly felt anger. She was being a fool a complete idiot. She wasn't even sure whether she was doing the right thing and here she was slowly braking Naruto's heart into pieces. He had never been so disappointed and upset with his student then he was now. "Setting him free Sakura?" He was mad she knew it and it made her feel ashamed at the thought of disappointing her sensei, but wasn't she doing the right thing. Wasn't she doing this for Konoha, for Naruto? "You are setting him up for a bigger bind then the one before, one that neither you or him will come unscathed from."

She turns around, "Like I said before, these fantasies of saving someone who is beyond redemption are foolish dreams and should be discarded. Naruto and Konoha are the only thing that matter to me now. I will do whatever it takes to keep these things out of harms way. As for you Kakashi sensei, you should do what you do best and keep your mind on those graphic novels you're always attached to." She crossed the line, she knew it, but she was so mad, she was so mad at him, never being there, always far and distant and it pissed her off that here he was ostensibly giving her advice when she didn't ask for it. He was effectively making her question her actions and it pissed her off that he confused her. Had she made a mistake? Did he deserve to hear what she just say, to pretend that she didn't care about her ex sensei's opinion? Ofcourse not, she was wrong. But she was so godamn mad. Everything was going shit wrong super fast and she was tired of being told she was wrong and what to do.

To say he was shock would be an understatement, he was completely stunned. He knew she didn't mean it, but to hear her say such harsh words, especially towards him made him feel unbalanced. Her words didn't make him mad instead they made him feel guilty, guilty because he knew she was having a tantrum, for leaving her behind so many times, for not being there when she needed them the most. He knew she must be having a hard time considering Tsunade's recent state. No, he wasn't mad, he was sad that somehow he had failed, failed her.

He always thought Sakura would be the easiest to deal with, her having the happy childhood and seemingly normal life. However, it was this that made her easier to brake, she was easily shoved off her cloud of nativity and innocence into the harsh world of reality, a reality that his other two students already lived in. She was delicate, yet he did little to protect her. Consume with his failures as a teacher he essentially dropped her as a student, although she never showed it or said anything, he's pretty sure she must have felt abandoned by both Naruto and himself after Sasuke left.

She wasn't looking at him when he spoke, out of shame most likely, "You are no longer a genin, you can make your own decisions, don't worry about what your cynical old perverted sensei may think." He wasn't mad at her she could tell. His voice was completely monotone and it hurt her to hear him sound so far away, like a stranger. She clenches her fist and raises it to her heart, she's in so much pain with everything that's been happening, and she just doesn't want to give a fuck anymore. She hears her sensei's steps fade away and knows she is left alone in the snow.

No matter what her sensei said she can't go back on her words now. She looks off into the distance and promises herself that she will never hurt Naruto or anyone she loved ever again. She will not be a burden, she will die for what she believed in and die to protect those she loved. She would sacrifice everything for them, whether it is her body, soul, or heart, she will sacrifice it all for them.

"Gara!" Naruto runs towards Gara and quickly gives him a hug and throws his arm around his shoulder, he has a cheeky smile and Gara although feels esteemed still feels uncomfortable.

Kankuro laughs at his brother's apparent dismay and Temari can't help but roll her eyes at Naruto's tantics.

"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto has let go of Gara and has his hands behind his head in an apparently relax manner.

"We came to talk to your teacher Kakashi, where is he?" Temari asks while looking around not seeing any sign of the white haired sharingan wielder.

"Kakashi sensei is talking to my sweet Sakura chan about important business I am sure." Lee answers. Naruto lets his eyes travel into the direction he last saw them walk off to.

"What do you need to talk to Kakashi sensei about?" Naruto asks looking confused and interested at the same time. Temari looks at Gara who hadn't said anything thus far.

Gara speaks with a grave tone making everyone instantly serious, "There are matters that need to be discussed with Kakashi immediately, they are of great importance and there is no time to waste. Something critical has come up and we cannot continue to waste any more time."

Naruto's eyebrows furrow and his lips are set into a small frown, again he lets his eye travel into the direction he thinks Kakashi and Sakura are at. He looks back at the group of shinobi and he smiles at them, that huge goofy smile they are so used to seeing plastered on Naruto's face. "Well then let's go look for that lazy bum."

She walks in the make shift cabin that Yamato captain had built with his special jutsu. The moment she steps in she feels a choking sort of feeling. She hasn't been there to hear what they were discussing but from the tone of it and the look on everyone's faces it was bad.

The room was fairly empty except for a wooden table and wooden chairs surrounding it. Gara was situated at the end of the table speaking to everyone but focusing mostly on Kakashi and Naruto. Kakashi was leaning on the wall adjacent to Gara's seat, his tone was extremely grave and it made her shiver, was the situation that bad? Temari and Kankuro were both standing behind their younger sibling holding on to similar expressions of edginess. Kiba and Lee each had a chair of their own, listening intently to what was being said. Sai and Yamato where at the far ends of the room, listening and observing from a distance. Naruto was seated at the other far end opposite to Gara, his expression was one of anger and determination, his hands were fist under the table and it look like he was about to burst in any moment.

"…and so the Kages think I should represent Konoha in time being for the impending war?" Sakura's eyes bulged, did she just hear right. There was going to be a war, why, with who, what the fuck was going on?

"Hai" was Gara's lone answer.

"So what do we do of Danzo, I mean I doubt the guy is just gonna hand over the position of Hokage to Kakashi without a fight or any sort of resistance." Kiba looks at Kakashi for an answer.

"We won't deal with the position of hokage, we're just going to have to work around it." Kiba looks more confused than before.

"What kakashi means to say," everyone looks at Yamato as he continues, "is that Danzo won't give up the position of hokage at all and at this point with the greater situation at hand we don't have the time necessary to deal with it effectively. At this point all we can do is organize ourselves and work in alliance with the other countries to stop Madara from accomplishing his goal. That being said Kakashi would in essence be representing Konoha to the other kages but as for now the title will remain with Danzo, of that we can't do anything yet." The konoha shinobi nodded their heads in understanding.

"So then," everyone seems to finally notice that Sakura has joined them, she meets Kakashi's eyes and feels guilt consume her, but she looks away and continues on, "we will need to somehow organize ourselves behind Danzo's back. How will we be able to this?"

"Danzo will fight against Akatsuki I'm sure. All we need is for him to stay out of our way for now. Since he refuses to comply with the rest of the Kages, Kakashi will be receiving all Intel and decisions we have made and he will know what to do when the time comes when we have to fight. However, there is one thing we do ask of Konoha to do." Gara looks at Naruto and their eyes meet, he looks apologetic and it confuses Naruto as to why, "We ask of Konoha to protect and keep Naruto safe and ensure he is in no danger of being captured, that is the key to winning this war."

Sakura looks at Naruto worried, she knows he is not one to stand idly while everyone else is fighting. She could see him shake in anger and he stands up knocking down the chair he was sitting on. He looks at all of them, his expression hard, ".not. stand on the sidelines while everyone else is fighting and dying. I will fight and protect the people that are precious to me no matter what. I will not get capture. I am strong and how many times do I have to tell you guys to believe in me and have some goddamn faith!" Sakura's eye were casted downward, she was biting her lip and she continued to hear Naruto's rage, "How dare you guys ask that of me? Have you guys not seen what we can do if we just believe and have faith on one another? …**GOD…why can't you guys get it?**" He slams the table, his knuckles burn from the punch. He is shaking uncontrollably, and he is so mad that after everything that's happen they still don't believe. He's lips barely start to move and you had to strain your ears to hear. "The third hokage, pervy sage, and my dad had faith and me…so why can't you?" His eyes have rimmed over with unshed tears and he storms out of the room leaving everyone inside feeling ashamed.


End file.
